Hundreds of Laborers of PT Unggul Karya Semesta Shaving Heads Bald

Solidaritas.net, Bogor – Laborers of PT. Unggul Karya Semesta (UKS) jointly shaved their heads bald to indicate solidarity toward their 46 members whose head was shaved bald and was arrested by Resort Police of Bogor Regency. Hundreds of laborers of PT. Unggul Karya Semesta were subjected to unilateral Termination of Employment (PHK) by the employer. The laborers who united under Federation of Metal, Machine, and Electronic Workers (F-LOMENIK) of All Indonesian Workers’ Uninon (SBSI) couldn’t stand with the termination, they undertook a strike against it.

The strike was not gone well. To block the production process, the laborers attempted to stop the trucks that went in and out of the company. However, the company reported their action to the police then they were charged under unpleasant deeds and exploitations. The laborers were arrested and shaved bald on June 11, 2015.

After their release, hundreds of other laborers of PT. Unggul Karya Semesta witnessed their heads had shaved bald. This was firing other laborers to shave their heads bald together on June 15, 2015. The laborers need to show to the public how they held solidarity by shaving their head bald and will be fighting over all unfair decisions made by PT. Unggul Karya Semesta.

“With jointly becoming bald, the laborers want to show their solidarity and they will keep running their opposition,” said Rahmat Rifai, General Secretary of Laborers’ Communication Forum of Citeureup (FKBC) who also shows his solidarity to the laborers of PT. Unggul Karya Semesta.

Up till now, the bald laborers who named themselves ‘Bald Soldiers’ (Prajurit Botak/ Prabot) keep making efforts to struggle for their rights.

Their audience plan has failed because the Head of Social, Manpower and Transmigration Department (Dinsosnakertrans) of Bogor Regency was hindered to meet the laborers due to a significant agenda. On Wednesday (17/6/2015), at 13.00 WIB, the laborers came to Dinsosnakertrans of Bogor Regency to held another audience.

The four main points mentioned by the laborers are:

Supremacy maintenance on laws pertaining to manpower in Bogor Regency.

Further measures to the unfinished reports by the administrative of manpower such as laborers’ arrested cases, the termination of employment of 205 laborers and being underpaid lower than the District Minimum Wage (UMK).

The audience was guarded by 18 people from Branch Leadership Council (DPC) in Bogor Regency, five of them are DPC of Federation of Metal, Electronic, and Machine Workers’ Union (FSP-LEM SPSI), DPC of National Workers’ Union (SPN), DPC of Federation of Garment and Textile Workers’ Union, DPC of Federation of Cigarette, Tobacco, Food and Beverages Workers’ Union, and DPC of Indonesian Muslim Workers’ Brotherhood 98 (PPMI).